Togetherness
by Evervescent
Summary: In a time that's not always stable, you can always count on your family and friends to be there for you. A series of one-shots focused on the the family-like ties between the show's characters.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So I've always liked how this group had sort of a familial feeling about them, and I wanted to write a story showing the family ties between the characters. There aren't enough fics out there appreciating how the inu-tachi are kind of like siblings, and to be honest, the one's where they start shipping the wrong people just freak me out (no offense, it's just not my thing).

So here's _Togetherness, _which will be a collection of one-shots centered around family ties, and sometimes romance, between the Inuyasha characters.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, the show, characters, etc.

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><p>The sky was a placid, silvery color. It looked like it covered in flat clouds, and at the same time, it looked clear. No matter which it was, it cast a grey and depressing shadow over all of feudal Japan.<p>

Between autumn and winter, it was colder than usual. It was slightly windy, but without the sun out that day, it was colder than it should have been. Wildlife had already scampered for warmer shelter, but youkai, though a lesser number, still roamed the forest surrounding Kaede's village, though they left it in peace.

Sango blew out lightly— she saw her breath materialize in front of her before it evanesced into the surrounding air. She wasn't cold for some reason— maybe it was the two little girls snuggling up against her front proving her warmth.

Her two twin daughters— her first children. Almost a year old, and the most precious things in her life, besides Miroku...

They were both asleep, wrapped in thick blankets and one in each of Sango's arms. Her strength from years of taijiya training was incredibly helpful when it came to her children— she doubted that they would become heavy for her anytime soon.

She looked down at their faces. Miroku insisted that they looked more like her, and she had to agree. They had her face shape and hair, but she could see her husband in their nose and eyes. Miroku had laughed, saying it would have been funny if one twin looked like him while the other looked like her.

When sleeping, they looked so peaceful that Sango couldn't help but feel a swell of love for them. It squeezed her heart to know that Kagome would have loved to see and hold her children.

Oh Kagome...

It had been roughly a year since her closest friend had been pulled back into her own time. Her disappearance took heavy tolls on everyone, especially Inuyasha, The village wasn't as bright as it used to be, and smiles that they wore never did quite reach their eyes anymore.

Inuyasha mainly moped around the village, his sole duty protecting the village from youkai attacks. He killed almost emotionlessly, several steps down from when he passionately cut down demons for Kagome and theirs sake. He hardly even touched Tetsusaiga, instead opting for his flaws and fangs when handling the attacks.

Sango inhaled and exhaled again, looking out into the forest, her eyes slowly losing focus as she fell into deep thought. Miroku had left the village the day prior reluctantly to perform an emergency exorcism on the neighboring village. He had insisted on staying with his wife and precious children, but they had managed to convince him to go earn his keep while Inuyasha protected the village.

Speaking of which, where was he? Sango glanced around, furrowing her brows when she didn't see him. She wasn't worried, she could still hold her own against any attacking youkai, but she hadn't even done so while with her children.

"Sango?" She nearly jumped out of her skin when said hanyou appeared behind her somehow, approaching her. "What the hell are you doing out here?"

She glared at him and looked pointedly at her children. He raised an eyebrow. "They're asleep, who cares?"

"I do!" She hissed out, but Inuyasha ignored her.

"You should be inside, it's cold out. I don't need Miroku exorcising me when he comes back to see you and your kids ill," Inuyasha admonished.

Sango smiled. After a few years with Inuyasha, she could read his words easily— the way he acted like he didn't care when he really did.

"Thank you, Inuyasha, but I'm fine, really." She returned her gaze to the forest.

"Are you waiting for Miroku or something? He's not coming back for at least another few days, you know that, right?" She glared at him. "Of course I know that! It's just..."

"You miss him, right? Keh, stupid human emotions..." Inuyasha grumbled.

Sango flushed angrily. "What, like you haven't missed Ka—" If she could, she would have slapped a hand over her mouth. What was she thinking, bringing her up?

Inuyasha stiffened. "Look, there's a huge fucking difference between—"

"I know, I know!" Sango said hurriedly. "I-I didn't mean it, it just slipped out, and I'm sorry. Really."

"..." Inuyasha said nothing, but stood next to her, looking out into his forest.

"You're just lucky to know he'll return."

Sango swallowed hard. "You don't know that Kagome won't..."

"I know," he said curtly. "But you can be certain about Miroku, at least."

She looked down at her sleeping daughters. "I'm sorry Inuyasha, I really didn't mean to say that."

He huffed, before replying in a quieter tone. "Don't worry about it."

They stayed silent for a while before Sango broke the silence again. "Where's Shippo at?"

"Training again. Kohaku?"

"Training, again," Sango replied with a small smile on her face.

It was silent again before Inuyasha spoke up. "How long 'ya gonna stay out here? You can't just be waiting for him 'til he comes back."

Sango bit her lip before looking up at him and responding with, "It's not like you don't do it, either, Inuyasha."

His eyes widened and he looked down at her. "What?"

She averted her eyes. "I see you, sometimes. You take off to the well every now and then, every three days, actually."

Inuyasha's eyebrows furrowed. "You've been fucking _spying _on me?" He demanded incredulously.

"Not really. You're just more obvious than you think you are,"

He took a deep long breath before focusing his full attention on her. "You haven't told anyone, have you? 'Cause I swear—"

"No, because I'm pretty sure they already know. Haven't you notice no one ever asks or goes with you when you leave?" Inuyasha sputtered, and then 'keh'ed defiantly before jerking his nose towards the direction the sun would be visible in if it wasn't so cloudy.

Sango awkwardly shifted her children. "Don't worry, Inuyasha. Kami smiles upon loving spirits such as yourself. I can guarantee you'll see her again," Sango said softly. With her arms full, she managed to walk over to him and awkwardly put her head on his arm as a sort of friendly gesture. She could almost feel the boy's sorrow for his lost love, and was upset she couldn't provide more than a sisterly warmth for him.

Since she wasn't looking at his face, she completely missed his brilliant blush and flushed expression. He blinked furiously and his eyes shifted from side to side as if looking for a way out of the touching gesture.

He patted Sango's head a little hesitantly in his own way of returning the favor.

"You know, Inuyasha, at times you remind me of my father."

Inuyasha's eyes widened, and his lips parted in surprise. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"You two have things in common. Like how you're both so headstrong and prideful. My father never did let anyone insult him and get away with it." Sango giggled and let more of her head's weight drop onto Inuyasha's shoulder. "He was good at what he did, just like you are. He had a big heart and always protected our village, just like you protect us now."

Inuyasha grew more and more awkward-feeling with every indirect compliment Sango was pushing towards him. "I'm not your father, Sango." He almost flinched, instantly realizing how cold and harsh the words sounded at first, but was slightly relieved when Sango only laughed a little.

"Of course you're not Inuyasha. No one can ever replace my father. Let's just call you the big brother I never had."

"... Sango, I—"

"Oh, did I mention? My father... he used to hit Kohaku on the head when he did something bad like you do to Shippo. It's actually kind of weird how you uncannily resemble him sometimes."

He flinched guiltily and looked down. "I, um, I'm sorry..."

She withdrew her head from his warm body and looked at him a little incredulously. "What on earth for? Thank you, Inuyasha, for being a part of my family."

He heard her sniffle a little in response to the chilly air, most likely getting a runny nose.

He silently thanked the lord for the excuse to not watch the girl blather more and eventually shed tears. Inuyasha yanked off his outer haori, draping it over Sango's head and shoulders and managing to tie the sleeves around her and her children with the care of an older brother. Sango watched him wide eyed as he expertly tied the red garment around her and her children. When he finished, he tugged the part of the haori over her head a little more over her hairline, like a hood.

"Don't stay out too long, all right?" Inuyasha ruffled the top of her head before he turned and walked back towards Kaede's hut.

She smiled, feeling happier than she had been since Miroku left. "Don't worry, Inuyasha, I'll be right in," she called after his retreating figure.

She looked back towards the horizon, her spirit lighter than it was before.

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><p>AN: I hope I did an okay job on this. This idea, along with some others, have been floating around for a while and I was excited to finally write this one out. If you like stories like this, feel free to PM me so I can link you to other great ones on this website!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Here's chapter two! This idea popped into my head, and I couldn't help but write it! See if you can't guess who the mysterious guy is by the end of this!

Thanks so much, and I love you all! Happy Holidays!

Disclaimer: I kind of wanted to own Inuyasha for Christmas but...

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><p>Magically, Kagome had managed to get Inuyasha to allow her to go back to her time. She eagerly headed off towards the well and leaped over the edge, more than a little excited.<p>

She wasn't heading back for the usual exams or schooling— more like the complete opposite.

The school cultural festival.

She had heard it was a more minor event this year, and due to her amazingly active participation the previous year (and unfortunately, Inuyasha's) she had been excused from working the festival this year. The teachers had become sympathetic about her chronic illnesses and told her she shouldn't have been overworked.

As untrue as that was, Kagome was totally okay with it.

Upon coming home, she was greeted by her mother. "Kagome, honey, come here! I've gotten some more supplies for your trip back!" She waved towards the various grocery bags on the counter.

She swallowed guiltily as she looked as the piles of canned food and packages of ramen, to the vast array of medical supplies from the pharmacy in a separate bag.

"Mom, it's okay, you shouldn't have to buy so much! I'll pay for it, you know that!" Kagome's mother smiled and moved to hug her daughter.

"With what money, Kagome? You don't have a job, and it's not like you can get one." She pulled away and ruffled her daughter's hair. "Don't worry, dear, it's my job to take care of you. Don't you worry a thing about the money."

But she couldn't help but worry. Medicine was not cheap, and the amount of injuries she and her friends sustained from battle were not minimal in number. From something as simple as bandages or rubbing alcohol, to thick gauze and oral medication for internal injuries, Kagome wasn't stupid— costs and expenses were sky high.

Their family wasn't rich to begin with— just middle class. Owning a shrine wasn't really bringing in that much income, but they got by.

Kagome shuddered to think of how much her mother spent funding her excursions to the feudal era.

Nevertheless no matter how much Kagome protested, her mother wouldn't budge about who spent how much money on supplies— and that was that.

Kagome sighed as she thought about the piles of expensive supplies sitting on the dining room counter at this very moment as she strolled down the street with her friends. Ayumi, Yuka, and Eri had persuaded her to come dress shopping with them over the weekend. It wasn't a formal event, obviously, but Kagome thought that since she rarely attended school functions, she might as well come looking nice the one time she showed up.

The dress shops in Tokyo were abundant. From costume stores to formal wear, the four girls had their pick and variety. They wisely picked a store that was not advertising the latest in cosplay fashions. They weren't the one's performing, after all.

Yuka squealed as they entered the shop. "Oooh, I love dress shopping! It's been forever since we've done this, Kagome-chan! Your recent illnesses have kept us from spending so much time together!" Kagome laughed nervously.

"Yeah, I've missed hanging out with you guys," she said. She tried to avert her eyes, guilty that she lied to her friends yet again. It wasn't as though she had a choice— "Hey, have I mentioned that I go on crazy adventures five hundred years in the past?" was not the best conversation starter.

She sat on a bench in the changing room and smiled to herself as her friends came out of stalls, spinning in the mirrors and gushing over each others dresses. She had pulled a few random dresses from the racks and tucked them into her lap.

One in particular had caught her eye. a stunning red number that was nothing like a formal dress— something completely appropriate for perusing a school cultural festival, but one that would also help her stand out. The reminded her of Inuyasha's gaudy old-fashioned outfit. Come to think of it, was that the only reason she had noticed it in the first place...?

"Aren't you going on as well?" The deep voice coming from next to her startled Kagome violently She turned to see a well-dressed man giving her a soft smile. "You have dresses, but you haven't tried them no yet."

"Uh..." Kagome sought for a plausible explanation to give to this rather observant stranger. "I want to see my friend's pick out dresses first. Id' rather help them pick out their choices first." She thought she saw a raised eyebrow from the stranger, but it was gone if it was ever there in the first place.

"I see. How kind of you," the stranger replied. He blinked his dark eyes— if Kagome squinted, she could see a hint of green in them.

_Hmm. Maybe he's got some foreign genes in him?_

"How about you?" She inquired awkwardly. "Why aren' t you, uh—"

"Why aren't _I_ trying on dresses?" The man gave her an amused look. Kagome waved her hands around frantically.

"No, no, that's not what I meant!" She could feel hr face flush. "I meant, uh, what are you here for?"

"Ah," the man replied. A brief smile grazed his face. "I'm here to help out an old friend find a dress. She'll be around any minute." He tugged on the small ponytail his hair was gathered into with a teal colored tie.

"Kagome-chan!" She looked up to see her three friends running towards her, all wearing dresses out of the trial rooms. Ayumi smiled and spun a round. "What do you think?"

Kagome forced a smile on her through her wistful and upset thoughts. "You guys all look wonderful in them. Are you buying them?"

Eri put her hands on her hips proudly. "Of course! We've been trying on dresses for forever! These are our favorite ones." She frowned when she noticed the stack of dresses in her friends hands. "Kagome, you have so many, but you haven't tried a single one on. Let's go, we need to buy you a dress, too!"

Her heart sank as she looked at the expensive dresses in her hands. Dresses which once would have been easily affordable, but now were a huge burden to her mother if she bought one. She hadn't bothered to check the prices of the clothing in the store until ti was too late.

"No, I don't think these are the right dresses for me." She forced a tight smile onto her face. "I've just forgotten to put them back. Besides, they don't suit me."

Ayumi furrowed her eyebrows at her friend, "Nonsense, Kagome-chan, why don't you find a few to try on and we—"

Panicking, Kagome waved her off and moved to deposit the dresses on a nearby rack. "No! No, really it's fine!"

Her three friends gave her a suspicious look. Yuka stepped forward. "Kagome-chan, are you okay? You've been acting a little strange all day. Is your high fever coming back?" She moved to put a hand to her friends forehead, but was surprised when she jerked away harshly.

"Actually, maybe it is. It's supposed to be an on and off thing, anyways," Kagome laughed nervously. "Plus, it's getting late. I don't want Mama to worry. Why don't you guys go pay for your stuff?"

Eri frowned. "But Kagome-chan, you still need a dress for the festival!"

"I'm sure I can find one tomorrow, or maybe Mama has something nice I can borrow. Really, I should be getting home."

Yuka sighed. "All right, then." She took Eri's arm and they moved towards the register.

Ayumi approached Kagome. "Kagome? Are you sure you don't want anything from here?"

_Oh, Ayumi,_ Kagome thought, smiling mentally. "I'm positive." She lied through her teeth.

"I saw you looking at that red dress earlier. You know, if it's a problem with the payment, I'm more than happy to—"

Kagome shook with anxiety. Did Ayumi suspect something? "No, it's nothing like that. I, um, I realized I didn't like the, uh, the back!" She snapped her fingers. "Yes, that's it, I realized it was too showy for me so I decided I didn't like it." With a gentle push, she managed to get her friend moving towards the register.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow, okay? I can feel that fever coming back..." she finished with a nervous laugh. Ayumi grinned and waved her goodbye.

"Feel better, Kagome-chan!"

When no one was looking, she longingly stroked the hem of the red dress she had fallen in love with before biting her lip and exiting the store.

The man from before watched the sad girl as she left.

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><p>The next morning after breakfast, Kagome had almost finished packing her yellow bag guiltily with all the supplies her mother had paid for when said mother descended the stairs.<p>

"Oh, Kagome, hold on, dear. There's something for you," Mama Higurashi said as she held out a large package for her daughter. "It arrived early this morning."

Tilting her head to the side, Kagome took the blank box. "What is it?" Her mother shrugged. "I don't know. It's for you."

They moved to the kitchen, and Kagome set the box on the table before curiously opening it. "Do you know who sent it?"

Her mother shook her head. "No, it was sitting on the doorstep this morning. It had your name on it, no return address or anything."

Gasping, she pulled out the last thing she had expected. Papers from school, a gift from her relatives, maybe, but certainly not this.

Certainly not the red dress from the shop the day before.

Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes as she pulled the entire swath of fabric out and held it before her. It was exactly her size, as well, and before she knew it, tears were spilling out.

"Oh, honey, it's beautiful! Do you have any idea who it's from?"

Kagome looked into the now empty box.

There, sitting at the bottom of the box, was a round, perfectly smooth green leaf. Several things clicked in her mind at once.

"An old friend. I know, I can just tell." Unable to help herself, she hugged the dress and the leaf from the box tightly to herself.

Hidden in the branches of the Goshinboku outside, a red-haired figure smiled toothily before leaping away.

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><p>AN: I hope you all enjoyed that chapter! Any ideas that you might have, please feel free to share them! Can anyone tell em who it was that gave her the dress? ;)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: So, this popped into my head. To be clear, this is a family fanfiction, guys— not a pairing between Kagome and Sesshomaru. I don't ship those two, despite the few favorited stories I have of them on my profile. Those are there because the plots were amazing :P

So, here it is! Chapter three of _Togetherness_! Thanks, guys! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, or

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><p>Studying was by no means Kagome's forte. She was quite certain that she had a higher percent chance of hitting a demon on the first try with her bow and arrows than the percentage score she would receive on her next geography examination.<p>

She stared down at the world map she had in her lap, then at the language textbooks splayed open at her side. English really wasn't her best subject...

She sighed loudly before turning back to her map and her history textbook in frustration. Why learn so much about foreign countries? Kagome was quite certain she wasn't going to be jetting off to China or America anytime soon.

She gnawed on the eraser part of her pencil and glared intently at her map. She supposed it was helpful to understand the geography of her country if she was going to be running around it blindly with her friends in the Feudal Era, but it was so hard...

She has managed to anger Inuyasha into leaving her alone for an hour or two, tops. Just enough for her to cram for her exams on English and geography tomorrow.

Which she would make Inuyasha let her attend, of course.

"Miko."

Kagome jumped slightly before sighing. Just when she thought she could study in peace...

She glanced up slightly nervously at the demon lord who stood before her. "Hello, Sesshomaru-nii-sama." She fidgeted anxiously. "What brings you here?"

She wasn't afraid of him, obviously, but he was intruding on her alone time. Since the demise of Naraku, he had much less bent on killing Inuyasha. Kagome thought it was nice. Inuyasha thought he was plotting.

"I was visiting Rin at the village," his monotone voice said, before his eyes turned towards the object on her lap. "You possess a map of the world?"

It surely wasn't the question that Kagome would expect him to voice. "Yes, it's for my studies. Would you like to see it?" She held it up towards him with some difficulty, seeing as how she was sitting down, but Sesshomaru stood tall above her.

With nimble fingers, Sesshomaru extracted the map from her fingers and gazed down at it.

"Your world makes very accurate maps."

Kagome bit her lip. "My world?"

Sesshomaru gave her a cool glance. "You come from another time, do you not?" He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"But how did you—" She was cut off abruptly.

"I am not blind. That is how." Kagome shut her mouth. Surely it wasn't so obvious that she was a time traveler?

"What is this place?"

"Hmm?" Kagome strained her neck as she sat up and squinted at the map Sesshomaru now held, looking at where his long clawed finger was pointing.

"Ahh, I don't think I can tell you that..."

"And why not?"

Kagome gulped at the look he gave her, and laughed nervously. "Well, uh, being from the future and all, there are some things that haven't been discovered yet here, and I don't think I should tell you." She twiddled her fingers nervously and dared a look upwards at him. "Might mess up history or something, you know?"

Another look.

"Okay, okay! I'm trusting you here, alright?" Again, silence from the taiyoukai.

"It's called Antarctica— it was the seventh continent in the world, and it's pretty much ice. There, that's all I'm going to tell you." She crossed her arms defiantly

"Hn." He traced a finger delicately over the border of Europe on the map. "This place..."

"What?" Kagome finally stood up and moved so she could look at the map, being sure to keep her distance from the man on front of her. "Oh, Britain? You know about it?" The surprise was clearly evident in her voice.

"Indeed. I have traveled there before."

Kagome's jaw dropped. "No way! You are so lucky!"

Sesshomaru wrinkled his nose. "It is filled with humans. The only demons there are low-lifes who have forgotten their nature."

Kagome's eyes were lit with excitement. "Where else have you been?"

She watched, entranced by wanderlust, as the demon lord traced his fingers over other parts of Europe and Asia, and, to her surprise, North America.

"I don't even think it was colonized by now..."

"Colonized?"

"Nothing..." Kagome sighed dreamily as she gazed at the map. "The world is very large; you are lucky to have seen so much of it, Lord Sesshomaru."

"I am aware."

She fiddled with her thumb again before tentatively asking,"So... Can I have my map back now?" She caught it as he dropped it from his grasp. She smiled and was about to bid him goodbye until she found her English language book no longer next to her.

Guess who had it?

"Hn." He flipped through the pages as his eyes skimmed the words. "Can you speak this language?"

"English?" Kagome flushed and looked down at her lap. "Not particularly well, no. It's just an extracurricular activity, for fun, you know? I'm really horrible at it, to be honest."

Sesshomaru raised a thin eyebrow at her and opened his mouth to speak. The string of words which came out made little to no sense to Kagome.

"Eh?"

"That, you fool, was proper English."

She should have expected that.

"Hey! Since you're so good, mind helping me—"

"No." Without another word, he dropped the rather heavy textbook on her lap, making Kagome exhale sharply. "Hey!" When she looked up, she saw him now holding one of her Chinese textbooks.

"See, now I'm actually a lot better at Mandarin. I'm even in the advanced level class for it."

Sesshomaru made a noise of disinterest in the back of his throat.

"You know, I could have even gone on the special school trip to China. but of course, Inuyasha never would have let me be away so far for so long. And he obviously couldn't come with me.."

Kagome continued to ramble, while Sesshomaru managed to finish reading the fairly large textbook. Once he was done, he dropped it as well, and Kagome managed to get out of the way this time.

"What, you read the whole thing?"

"Of course." Well, if he could run fast enough that you could see traces of his image she was quite sure his mind worked in a similar fashion.

"You know, if you like them so much, I'll bring you some back the next time I go through the well. Just don't go changing history or anything, okay?"

Sesshomaru continued to look at her. She took that as agreement on his part.

"Well, it's been nice chatting with you, but I really have to get back to my studying. If you'll excuse me..." Kagome made to stand and politely take her leave, but was stopped by Sesshomaru's voice.

"Half a lunar cycle from today, a trade ship will depart from the Western lands for China. Give my name and they will allow you to board and journey with them." He spared her a glance before turning and walking away.

"Go with them if you so choose."

Kagome stared after him with her jaw dropped. Had he just...?

"Wait!" Sesshomaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes heavenward before looking down at the young girl who had come to a stop before him.

"Can Inuyasha come?" Kagome bit her lip nervously. "I'm not sure he'll let me go without him."

"The ship is a demon ship. They will not enjoy his company, and neither will Inuyasha enjoy theirs. I highly doubt he will even think about going."

"Oh." Kagome tried not to let the obvious disappointment show on her face as she lowered it. No way was she ever going to be allowed to go now.

She heard something akin to a very, _very _quiet sigh from the taiyoukai. "Tell my idiot of a half-brother that if he cannot go, I will." He idly touched a sword at his side, muttering that he was planning on going anyways.

"I expect to see you at the dock at the southern part of the Western lands in half a lunar cycle's time." He narrowed his eyes slightly at her. "Consider this repayment for the books you will be bringing me."

Kagome laughed nervously. "What else would it be for?" However, she couldn't help the smile that bubbled up onto her face, and she impulsively hugged her older brother-in-law. He pulled her off by the back of her shirt almost a second after she had managed to touch him, and sent her a cold glare. "Do not touch my person."

His final words for the moment being said, Sesshomaru set the young miko back on her feet before phasing off into the depths of the forest faster than her eyes could follow.

All studying aside, Kagome couldn't help but dance around gleefully. There was nothing stopping her from her trip now!

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><p>"No."<p>

"Inuyasha—!"

"Kagome, _no. _I'm not going, and you sure as hell aren't going to fucking _China_ alone! Do you know how long the whole thing'll take? And it's a ship full of demons, too! What, do you think I'm stupid or something? A bunch of demons and one human? What, are you going to spend your free time together playing _Go _or something?"

"No, Inuyasha, would you just listen to me?!"

Her husband let out a frustrated sigh and ran his hand through his hair. "Fine, what?"

"If you won't go, I'll go with your brother. He said he'd be—"

"_HELL NO!"_

Kagome blinked in confusion. "What's so bad about Sesshomaru? He's stopped trying to kill us all, now. I think he even likes us a little."

Inuyasha gritted his teeth. "I won't go on vacation with you, so you're going to leave me for my bastard of a brother?"

"What? N— oh..." Kagome nodded in understanding. "You think I'm going off to be with Sesshomaru or something? No, he just said he would be going on the same ship. If you wouldn't go, he'll be there, at least."

Inuyasha sputtered and turned red. "What makes you think _he _won't kill you or something, wench?"

"Easy. I'll let him win when we play Go with all the other demons on the ship."

"'Gome..." Inuyasha ground his fangs together and looked at the young woman, determination churning her eyes. "Can't you just go to China in your own world or something?"

"Unless you come with me and we magically got the travel funds, I'd be alone. And China now is so much nicer, and cleaner air, and—"

"Alright, alright," Inuyasha grumbled. "Write letters. Send them." He stepped forward to hug his wife tightly. "Don't leave me for too long," he mumbled into her hair.

"You know, you could come with me."

"Trapped on a boat for weeks or months? And what am I supposed to do in China? Destroy their version of Naraku?" Kagome snorted at Inuyasha's small joke.

"Don't worry." Kagome hugged Inuyasha tighter. "I'll be back before you know it."

They stayed like that, standing by the Bone-Eaters Well in each others embrace while they still could.

* * *

><p>Kagome grinned widely at the wide, open sea. An approximate eight hundred kilometers away was China, and she was about ready to swim the distance if need be.<p>

Prepared for their journey was an incredibly large atakebune, polished and strong, ready for travel. Kagome couldn't help but wonder why they were traveling on a warship.

"Your books, nii-sama." Kagome dropped the large language textbooks into the demon lords arms. "They're brand new! Just remember, you'll be ahead of the times if you read all that now." Kagome gave him a warning glance. "Seriously, don't go changing history by speaking modern English to the Chinese emperor or something."

"How foolish do you believe me to be?"

"Very," piped in a voice from behind Kagome. Inuyasha walked in front of his wife and narrowed his eyes at his brother. "I had better not be making a mistake by putting her in your care, understand?"

"If you are not coming with us, Inuyasha, I suggest you take your leave now." Sesshomaru drummed his long claws delicately on the hard cover of the books in one of his arms, being careful not to dent the smooth covers.

"I'll bring you back a present!" Kagome said excitedly.

"I don't need anything."

"But I want to get you something. So it'll be like you were on the trip, too. Your very own piece of China!" Inuyasha 'keh'ed and blushed slightly. He moved forward and hugged Kagome. "Stay safe, okay? If you come back with one scratch on you.." Inuyasha trailed off. Kagome snuggled into his haori.

"I'll stay safe, I promise. Right, Sesshomaru-nii-sama?"

He grunted, then tilted his head forward the slightest bit. "Come. The ship is about to leave."

Kagome gave Inuyasha a kiss. "I'll miss you, love."

"Don't call me love," he mumbled against her mouth. "Stay safe, wench, I'll miss you, too."

"Don't call me wench." Inuyasha grinned and pecked her lightly on the mouth again, sweeping her off her feet and twirling her around. "You have fun in China, okay?"

Kagome was already wiggling out of his grasp, eager to board the ship. "Yeah, yeah. Don't worry, I'll see you again soon!" She waved to him as she ran ahead towards the boat, her packed clothing and books having already been taken inside by a youkai worker on the ship. "I love you!" She called over her shoulder.

She awkwardly managed to climb most of the plank leading up to the ship. Sesshomaru grabbed her arm and hauled her over the edge of the boat.

They set sail almost immediately. Kagome turned towards Inuyasha, who smiled forlornly at his retreating wife, waving until they couldn't see each other anymore.

Kagome then turned to Sesshomaru, who was, surprisingly, still standing beside her.

"Nii-sama?" He cut his eyes towards her.

"What exactly am I going to do in China?"

"..."

* * *

><p>AN: So, I hope you guys liked that. I might add on another chapter or two in this series of one-shots, Togetherness. The family relationship between Kagome and Sesshomaru is pretty damn interesting.

Some additional info:

Atakebune - Japanese warships commonly used during this time period.

*I don't see why Sesshomaru couldn't have gone traveling. So, here's a Sesshomaru fluent in 16th century Mandarin and English.

*In this particular version of the ending, Kagome can still freely travel between the two times after the defeat of Naraku. Why not?

Any ideas? I'll be glad to hear them! Thanks for reading, guys! :)


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I kind of write chapters for this as ideas formulate in my head. There really isn't a clear path for this, 'cause it's a series of semi-connected one-shots. I got the idea when pondering the idea about how Kagome never seemed to fully explain exactly how important education in the modern world was for her. I would assume Miroku's the most educated in the group, seeing as how he was a monk, and he was seen writing once or twice in the series, and from there, a friendship fluff piece wrote itself in my head (and eventually onto this site).

I hope you guys enjoy this, and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: Inuyasha's too amazing to be owned by me.

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><p>The sun shone bright, warm, and fondly over the resting group of travelers in the forest clearing. The one with the large boomerang shaped weapon sat with it in her lap, absentmindedly rubbing over it with a cloth to clean it. A small cat with two tails sat between her a man with dark robes and a golden staff resting beside him.<p>

Immediately across from the pair sat a young girl in a green and white outfit, and completing the picture was the oddest looking member of all— a young man with hair the color of the moon, golden eyes, and a gaudy red set of clothes. A small little kitsune sat atop his left shoulder, staying silent but observing everyone else.

Kagome, the one in the green and white, opened up her large yellow backpack and withdrew from it a a hefty looking hard-cover textbook, symbols and equation on the front denoting it as a math textbook. As per usual on their rest stops, Kagome pulled out a paper and pencil and flipped to the correct page in order to begin her homework.

Halfway through her equations, she chewed on the back of her pencil and nervously looked up at her hanyou companion. She noticed his gaze shift very quickly from watching her out of his peripheries to straight ahead. Kagome smiled a little, knowing she'd caught him watching her at last.

"Inuyasha, I just remembered..." She anxiously withdrew the pencil form her mouth and moved it to her other hand where she proceeded to twirl it in her fingers. "I have an exam in a few days, you know. I need to go back soon to study and take it." She winced a little when she saw him already stiffening, anticipating the negative reaction. "Sorry for forgetting to tell you before. It's just that we've been so busy with the jewel shards and whatnot... hehe..." She tried vainly to excuse herself, but knew already it'd have no effect on the rather stubborn half-demon.

"Then just don't take it," Inuyasha offered, his tone clipped and, of course, angry around the edges. He turned to look at her again, narrowing his eyes at the open book in her lap. "What do you need to know something stupid like that for?" He asked, pointing down at the set of quadratic equations on the page.

"I don't know! I just have to, or I won't pass this year at school!" Kagome brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "Look Inuyasha, I asked you a simple question, nice and easy. Can I go home? It'll just be for a couple of days." She braced herself for the coming argument.

"No, you cannot! Need I remind you that we need to find the jewel that _you_ shattered? I think that's a little more important than some stupid number problems." He scoffed and turned his head away.

"They're not _stupid_! They're important! Don't you understand that without an education, I don't have a life?" She uncrossed her legs, folding them over to the side so she now faced Inuyasha.

"What do you mean, you don't have a life? You die if you can't calculate numbers?" He almost rolled his eyes at her over dramatization.

"No, you idiot! I mean I won't get anywhere in life! Education equals a job, and a job equals income, respect, a home, a family! Is that so hard to understand?" She was halfway to her feet by now, already on her knees and about ready to stand.

Inuyasha beat her to it, shooting up to his own feet before she could, and she clumsily followed, suddenly even more angry that she was shorter than him and had to look up a little to speak.

"How much education do you need? You're plenty book smart, just not so much in the other areas." He mumbled the last part, unable to help himself.

"What did you just say?"

"I said you're lacking in what's important, stupid! Ain't strong, fast, and can't shoot straight to save your own life! That's what you need to work on, not... that!" He waved in the direction of her books and papers, now scattered on the floor.

"Excuse me? Do you know how much schoolwork I have to catch up in because of _you_?" She moved forward to poke him in the chest. "_You_, because I can't concentrate on the work I do because _you _are always nagging, and _you _are always pushing me so I can't sleep! _You_, the indirect cause of my failure in school!"

Inuyasha sputtered. "It-it is not my fault you do so badly in your 'school' thing! Keh, you should just forget about it if you're already behind!" He crossed his arms and tensed his muscles slightly, already prepared for the inevitable.

"Oh, you...! Sit!"

There it was. Sango sighed a little and shook her head sadly, watching as Inuyasha crashed face-first into the ground. Even she understood how much Kagome's studies meant to her, though perhaps it was because she bothered to listen when Kagome explained the importance of it to her. "Oh Inuyasha, you simpleton..."

Miroku, on the other hand, remained silent, watching the whole exchange between Kagome and Inuyasha curiously. His eyes followed her as she picked up her forgotten books and paper and stalked off into the recesses of the woods, still lit with the afternoon sun.

Sango stood up, carefully setting aside Hiraikotsu and leaving her cleaning cloth behind in favor of pursuit of Kagome. "Kagome-cha—!"

Miroku stopped her, also on his feet and with a hand on her shoulder to halt her. "Actually Sango, would you mind terribly if I spoke with Kagome-sama for a moment?"

Sango narrowed her eyes. "Yes, yes I do."

He sighed and pouted a little. "Would I do anything to upset Kagome-sama while she is in this state? I only mean to speak with her, honestly." He looked off into the woods where Kagome had ran into. "I think I may be of help in this situation of hers..."

At the moment, Inuyasha had slowly begun to rise shakily out of the grass. "Kagome..." he ground out. Miroku took one look at him and gave Sango a reassuring smile. "You keep him from going after Kagome while I do just the opposite." The smile widened into a grin as he caught Sango's look of surprise, taking the opportunity to scurry into the trees.

Sango whirled back around in time to see Inuyasha about to leap after him. "Ack, no!" She grabbed the back of his hair and with a mighty tug, pulled him back to the Earth the second his feet left the ground as he jumped. With a yelp, he crashed back onto the ground. Once he got his bearings again, he looked up to see Sango readied with Hiraikotsu angled towards him. "Stay right here, Inuyasha!"

"What the hell, Sango?" He gestured towards the woods. "Miroku just ran off after Kagome alone, and you don't care?"

"Why should I? He wouldn't dare try anything on her." She shrugged, but her stance remained the same. "Besides, you just hurt her feelings and I'm not letting you go after her!" Taking one look at her determined expression, Inuyasha grumbled and sat back against the tree, his lips in the slightest of pouts.

Smiling, Sango sat back down across from him, carefully watching him out of the corner of her eyes as she resumed polishing off her weapon.

* * *

><p>Miroku trod silently through the dense foliage, doing his best to remember the direction which Kagome had ran off in. He soon came upon her form, sitting at the base of a tree with her knees bent, a textbook on her lap and her hands fisted in her hair, one still holding her pencil.<p>

"I still can't think, I still can't concentrate... concentrate, Kagome! Urgh!" More than a little amused at her conversation with herself, Miroku watched her from behind the bushes for a moment as she glared at her book and her eyes seemed to gloss over.

His heart wrenched a little as he watched his friend tighten her hands on her own hair and groan out load in frustration letting her head fall to her book and her shoulders slump in dejection.

"Kagome-sama?"

She sniffled a little and lifted her head away from the book, her knees falling to the ground and the book on her thighs bounced a little, looking rather surprised to see him. "Miroku-sama? What are you doing here?"

"You seemed rather upset, and I had to make sure you were okay." He gave her a gentle smile and sat down at the base of the tree across from hers. "What seems to be the problem, Kagome-sama? You're rather distraught."

She sighed heavily. "It's nothing really, Miroku-sama. I've gotten pretty used to it. I just can't concentrate on what I'm doing!" She waved angrily at her papers. "It's like I read the numbers but they don't process! I know how to do these problems, honestly, but for some reason I can never get work done because of that jerk!"

"Exactly the problem I believe I can help you with." Surprised, she looked up at him, seeing a sincere and friendly look on his face.

"Really?" Her eyes widened even more in happiness. "You'll help me study?"

"In a way," he began. "I can help you calm down and focus so that you may resume your studies."

She looked at him a little warily. "And what exactly do you have in mind?"

He laughed a little sheepishly. "Nothing bad, I promise! Is it so difficult to trust me?"

"Yes."

His laughter died down. Clearing his throat, Miroku scooted forward a little. "Tell me, Kagome-sama, what do you know about meditation?"

"Meditation?" Kagome looked taken aback. "Not much, to be honest. I think Kaede-sama did it with me a few times to train my powers, that would be about it. Why?"

"Are you aware that a good round of solid meditation can help clear the mind? It will greatly improve your studies if you let me help you."

"I'm not sure," Kagome said, chewing on her bottom lip in thought. "I don't know if I can do it."

"Of course of you can, friend, don't doubt yourself." He stood and walked over to her, crouching in front of her and removing her books off of her in favor of putting them on the ground beside her. "Let's get started, shall we?"

"Um, okay," Kagome put her hands on the ground and shifted herself back against the tree to lean on it. "How do I start?"

"To begin with, move away from the tree." She scooted forward so her back no longer touched the tree. "Close your eyes, and straighten your back. Cross your legs or sit on your knees, whatever you feel more comfortable with." She did so, opting to cross her legs and straightened her back as much as she could.

Miroku frowned, and leaned over to poke her sharply in the center of her spine. She yelped, but straightened even more immediately. "Miroku-sama!"

"Your spine must remain as erect as possible," he said calmly. "Eyes closed. Hands on top of each other and thumbs touching." He watched as she moved into the position, and smiled approvingly. "Well done. I'll meditate with you and guide you. Keep your eyes closed and focus on your breathing."

He arranged himself next to her, staff lying between the two of them as he assumed a similar position with ease and he, too, closed his eyes.

"Your main goal is to focus on your breathing. Center it right where the bottom of your ribs are, not the top of your lungs. Breathe deeply, count your breaths."

She strained her ears to catch the slightly sound of his own breathing, and imitated him a little hesitantly.

"Don't focus on any thoughts. Do your best to keep a clear mind. Inevitably, something will come to mind. Let it drift by and keep constant focus on your breaths."

Kagome did her best to obey, images of Inuyasha and exams flooding er mind. She did her best to push them away, but they stuck.

Miroku opened an eye and looked at her. "Stop the stressful thoughts, at the very least. They're the worst kinds."

Kagome gasped and sunk out of her position, turning to gape at him. "How could you possibly know—"

"I was trained enough to be able to perceive vague feelings in others." His eye was closed again, and he had not moved another bit out of his meditative posture.

"Wow! Can you teach me how to that?"

"Not unless you fully understand even this, Kagome-sama." She scrambled to resume her position, immediately closing her eyes and bringing her focus to any happy thoughts she could salvage to the best of her abilities, while simultaneously focusing on breathing from her diaphragm.

Miroku halfheartedly fell into a meditative state while keeping part of his mind alert to Kagome's progress. Her breathing was slowing down, and the tension in the air around her began to subside. Smiling inwardly, he allowed his mind to close and visualized fire in his head, resuming his own advanced meditation.

* * *

><p>Inuyasha huffed, impatiently standing and beginning to pace around the campsite. "Where the hell are they? What are they even doing?"<p>

Sango shrugged. "You're the one with the amazing senses, not me. What _are_ they doing?"

Inuyasha raised his head and his ears and nose twitched. "...Nothing?"

"Nothing?"

"I can smell them. They're not too far but there aren't any sounds. It's like they're just sitting there, not making any noise."

"Are they dead?"

"Keh! 'Course not, like I'd let that happen." Inuyasha snorted. Sango rolled her eyes.

"Then leave it alone. Miroku-sama is smart enough not to try anything on Kagome, and Kagome would never do anything stupid. Just leave them alone, would you?"

He frowned, but flopped down and began his incessant foot tapping once again. Sango's eye twitched as she glared at the flopping appendage, her hand slowly reaching for the short sword at the hip of the armor below her kimono.

Inuyasha never saw it coming.

* * *

><p>In her mind, Kagome could almost feel her own aura cleansing and her mind clearing into a pure white. She had no idea how long she'd been meditating, but she didn't care, so long as it was working.<p>

She had managed to bring her breath into a subconscious pattern, and her spine stayed stick-straight without much thought at all.

"...back. Slowly bring yourself out of it, Kagome-sama."

Miroku's voice seeped through the whiteness of her mindset and she found herself feeling a little like she was falling, gradually bringing her own attention back to her physical surroundings and opened her eyes.

Miroku grinned at her. "I told you that you could do it Kagome-sama! That was great for a first timer!"

She returned the smile. "Thank you very much, honestly, Miroku-sama. I feel so much better. I ought to meditate some more."

He shook his head. "No need to thank me. You had potential all along, I just helped you a little." He stood and offered her a hand up. "Remember to meditate before your exam— it should improve your performance."

"Thanks!" She grasped his hands and he pulled her off the ground easily. She looked down in wonderment at his hands, frowning and squeezing them. "Miroku-sama? Why are your hands so unnaturally... warm?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes," Miroku said absentmindedly, smiling. "Yet another technique I may teach you if you like. It's called _tummo_— it's a rather difficult form of meditation that allows you to control your body temperature.

"Whoa..." she breathed, running her hands over his again. "I have got to learn that." Miroku patted her shoulder.

"I believe you can someday, if you put your mind to it. Shall we return now so that you may get back to your studies?"

"Yeah, let's go. I have a feeling Inuyasha's doing something stupid right about now."

* * *

><p>"Where the hell were you two?" Inuyasha grabbed Kagome's shoulders and shook her a little as she took in his disheveled hair and transformed Tetsusaiga. "Do you know what the hell she tried to do?" Sango stood behind him, one hand on her hip as the other twirled her longsword in circles. "She tried to cut off my foot!"<p>

"Only because you wouldn't stop tapping it!"

"I would have if you'd asked!"

"I did ask! Besides, you came after me with your own sword, too!"

Kagome gaped. "Inuyasha! You turned Tetsusaiga on Sango?!"

"I didn't actually hurt her!" He sheathed the demon sword and crossed his arms defiantly. "'Sides, she attacked me first."

"Now, now I'm sure we can stop fighting over something so childish—" Miroku tried stepping between them.

"Childish?!"

As the three bickered, Kagome hunkered down to the ground a few feet away from the group, slipping into her meditative posture and tuning out the noise.

Shippo and Kirara watched from the next tree over, their gazes switching back and forth from the fighting group and the silent schoolgirl.

"What's going on?" Shippo whispered to Kirara. Kirara mewed in response. Shippo shrugged and licked the lollipop he snatched from Kagome's back when she had left. As long as no one was bothering him...

* * *

><p>AN: So Kagome and Miroku are like a more minor BROTP of mine, and this idea sort of popped into my head one day, and I decided to write it under Togetherness. I had a lot of fun researching meditation in Buddhism. Their way of meditating is often characterized by the folded legs and hands together with touching thumbs, so I made sure to confirm that was how Buddhist meditation is often performed.

Another interesting thing I found was that it was found some monks could train themselves to, in a way, feel the emotions and such of others. Also, they have this interesting practice called _tummo_, as mentioned before, in which they reach a meditative state, and can manage their body temperature, allowing monks to remain warm in freezing temperatures, even when covered by wet sheets. A method I found of doing such a thing is by visualizing a flame in the mind, which I why I wrote that Miroku did that, just to clear things up.

You can look these up yourself, because they're pretty cool! I got the breathing things from my yoga class. I myself suck at meditation because my mind wanders way too much, but I figured that Kagome, as a priestess, should have better luck meditating than I, a boring human with no cool powers.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this story! Let me know what you think, give me any suggestions, criticisms, etc.! I'm open to anything, you can even shoot me a greeting on my PM, I always respond! Any grammar mistakes you happen to catch, inform me of them if you like! I never proofread my stuff because I am very lazy.

Thanks for reading, guys! :)


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: These ideas just pop up guys, and they're fun as hell to write. I've always wondered what would happen between Kouga and Rin because of the whole being killed by his friends thing. Having Sesshomaru and Jaken there to help her out was no fun (even though it was a non-canonical filler).

So, uh, yeah. Let me know what you guys think!

OH and for anyone on here who might be interested, there's this fun thing going on right now on Tumblr, called** KagoMay.** It's sort of like InuVember, but with weekly prompts instead. This fic wasn't written for part of it, but who knows, maybe there will be something for it up here soon! So, yeah, if you guys are interested in KagoMay, feel free to look it up, participate in it, etc.! If you do, have fun!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha

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><p>"Huh? Oi!" Hakkaku called loudly over his shoulder, prompting Ginta to stop peering through the bushes. "Were ya paying attention, you dolt?"<p>

"Of course I was!" Ginta huffed. Rolling his eyes, Hakkaku let out a long sigh. "Come here, stay quiet and listen." The two crouched low near the bushes by the edge of the path, ears straining towards the nearby village.

"...And she said for you to also put this on the wound, mother. Kagome-sama has never been wrong before, so make sure to take your medicine, okay?" A young village girl's voice carried through the sparse trees and over to the hiding spot of the two wolf youkai.

Ginta blinked. "Do you wanna ask 'em for medicine? You don't look hurt."

"No! Didn't you hear? She said 'Kagome-sama!"

"What about Kagome?"

"She's back, you idiot! She was gone for three years or something, remember? She must have come back!"

"Oh, oh that's right!" Ginta stuck a finger in the air as his eyes lit up with remembrance. "We oughta tell Kouga, dontcha think? I bet he'd like to know!"

He turned to see Hakkaku already walking off. "Oi, wait for me!" With hasty steps, he scrambled to his feet and chased after his friend.

* * *

><p>"Hmm? Kagome?" Kouga turned away from the cave entrance, interest lighting his already glowing eyes. "Heard she went back to her own place, wherever that was. She's back?"<p>

Ginta piped up. "Yeah, Kouga! We heard the villagers near Inuyasha's tree talkin' about her. She musta returned after so long!" He pretended to ignore Hakkaku's dirty glare out the corner of his eye.

"Hm." Kouga hadn't gone near Inuyasha's group of friends after hearing about Kagome's absence. Kagome was the only reason he'd ever bothered associating with them at all, and with her gone, he had no desire to fight that Inuyasha or his friends, whatever their names were. A slow smile grew over his face.

"Maybe I'll go see her, huh? S'been a while. I wonder how my woman's been doing."

A loud thunk sounded, echoing through the great walls of the cave, and Kouga's eyes bugged out as he lurched forward. "What the hell, Ayame?"

His wife stood over him, her menacing aura forcing him to cringe a little and scoot back. "So the second your precious Kagome comes back, you'll just leave me to go running off with her?"

"N-no, it's not like that!"

"Why, you—!"

"Wait, stop!" He leapt to his feet, grabbing her arm before it came down and hit him over the head with the large rock again. "It's not what you think!"

"Oh? Then what is it this time, Kouga?" She relaxed her arm, and Kouga took the opportunity to snatch the rock out of her hand before she made to use it again.

"I just want to see her, okay? First love or not, she's still my friend, you know. It's been three years, I'd like to see her." Still seeing doubt in her eyes, he took her other hand and held both between his, much like how he had with Kagome. "I promise, I only have eyes for you, love."

Ayame giggled and she stood on her tip-toes to reach her face up to his, resting their foreheads together. "Really?"

Kouga gave her a wolfish grin. "Yup."

Ginta and Hakkaku reminded themselves to look away and leave in time as their best friend and sister in law pulled each other in close for a kiss.

* * *

><p><em>Shouldn't be too far now<em>, Kouga thought to himself as he ran through the dense forest, his whirlwind faithfully keeping stray branches and leaves from obscuring his vision. He could hear the bustle of the small, but busy, human village, from the distance, and after another few meters, could catch Kagome on the wind.

His nose crinkled when he found that her scent was, essentially, ghosted upon by Inuyasha's. Only very rarely was he able to catch it when it was only Kagome's scent. _Looks like somebody hadn't left her alone for a long, long time._

The sound of the villagers slowly go louder, though due to his youkai hearing, he could tell it was still a fair distance away. The closer he got, however, the more he could distinguish a lonesome presence closer to him than to the village.

He paused and narrowed his eyes, surveying his surroundings before detecting the aura and scent behind a nearby bush. Obviously not a threat, he lowered the clawed hand he had raised moments ago and approached the slightly shaking shrubbery.

Huddled underneath a tree and resting on it's roots was a small human girl, her kimono soiled, but obviously was once very bright. A basket of herbs lay forgotten by her side, and she clutched at her ankle. Frowning, he took note of the obviously wounded ankle and squatted down beside her— the girl seemed too preoccupied to have noticed him yet.

"Oi."

Her large, innocent eyes rose up to meet his and they immediately widened further, if possible, before she screamed and scrambled back in fear.

Ignoring her obvious fear, Kouga rested his elbows on his knees and leaned in further. "What's the matter? Are you from the village? You shouldn't be out here alone." She still proceeded to move slowly away from him, her eyes glistening as looked at him. The sharp claws and fangs, the tail, the metal armor, and the fur clothing— all obvious signs of a wolf youkai.

No doubt of the same blood that had killed her all of those years ago.

Kouga crept closer, but diverted his attention down to the foot she was cradling. Sure enough, the ankle was swollen and there were slight traces of blood on it. "You hurt yourself all the way out here, kid? You shouldn't have come alone."

He reached towards her ankle, intent on inspecting it, but his hand was violently pushed away by one of hers. Startled, he glanced at her face again. There it was again, that strange look of unprecedented fear. Slowly, he retracted his hand and rested it back on his knee. "You don't want me to touch you?"

Shaking, she pulled herself backwards from him even more, silently answering his question.

"Well if you don't let me touch you, how are we gonna get you back to the village, huh? You are from the village, right, Kagome's village?"

Kouga was confused further as her head shaking and fear seemed to increase tenfold. The sickeningly sharp smell of fear stung his nose, and her aura greyed. "Ya don't want me to go to the village, either?" Even more frightening was the fact that she had begun to cry, silent tears, streaming down her face as she watched him in trepidation.

Slightly panicked, Kouga fervently tried to calm her down, "What's wrong? Did something happen to the village? Is Kagome okay?"

"Don't..."

He heard her quiet words, and perked up in hopes of catching an explanation.

"Don't go to the village."

"Eh?" He cocked an eyebrow. "Why not, kid?"

"Please... don't hurt them..."

"Hurt 'em? What in the world makes you think I'm going to hurt anybody?" He sighed when he saw no change in her demeanor. "C'mon, come here, I'll bring you back to the village with me." Her sobs became louder.

"I haven't seen you before. You can't possibly have a reason for being scared of me." This time, both eyebrows shot up when he saw her swallow and nod. Now a little curious, he prodded. "All right, what did I do?"

"W-wolf..."

"Yeah, I'm a wolf-demon. And? That's it?" He raised an eyebrow, a little skeptical now. "Are you scared of demons? I won't hurt you, promise."

"Yes."

"Hmm?" She had said it so softly, even his demonic hearing barely caught the word. "What was that, kid?"

"You hurt me."

Kouga squinted at her, examining every detail of her he could see, double, then triple checking to see if he knew her scent. "I've never seen you around before."

"Wolves hurt me. Wolves killed me." She curled into an even smaller ball and splayed her hands out over her head. "Please go away."

"Eh? Killed you? But you're here, alive and breathing." Kouga pushed off the ground and stood. "My wolves haven't hurt humans for a few years; they wouldn't have hurt you."

"Four years ago, wolves killed Rin!" She insisted, peeking up at him angrily before quickly diverting her gaze again.

"Yeah, four years ago was around the last time we ever took on a human village. Funny, it was right before I met Kagome." He squatted back down to her level. "Either way, it was four years ago, and I won't even scratch humans anymore. Come on, kid, quit being stubborn and let me help you. Who knows what Kagome'll do if she finds that I went there without helping you. You're coming with me one way or another."

Stubbornly, Rin shook her head. Kouga huffed air out, blowing his bangs out of face. He caught sight of the two bright purple hued flowers Ayame had given him before he had left— a gift for Kagome. Grimacing slightly, he reluctantly pulled them out of his armor where he safely tucked them and awkwardly handed them to her.

"Here."

Still sniffling, Rin looked up from her lap and crossed arms, eying the flowers suspiciously.

"I know it doesn't make up or help anything, but just take 'em. Don't girls like flowers?" He twirled the stems around in his hand. "They were supposed to be for Kagome, but it looks like you need them more."

He caught himself from grinning widely when he noticed the interested spark in her eyes. "Flowers from where?"

"Where? Ayame, she's my wife. She has this thing for flowers. You can take 'em, she's got plenty. Here," he said, holding his hand out again for emphasis. Gingerly, Rin reached out and grasped them, holding them loosely in her grip by the stem and the heads of the flowers bent over her fists.

"Forgive me now?"

Stubbornly, Rin shook her head, Kouga gritted his teeth.

"Okay. Are you scared of me, then?" He pleased to note her scent of fear had diminished greatly, and while she didn't agree, she also didn't say no. He quietly held out a hand, and Rin placed her own into. With little effort, he managed to lift her and rise from the ground in a fluid motion before walking back to the path that led to the village. She rested against him in one warm and her injured foot dangled safely away from his metal armor.

"Do you want me to walk, or run?" Kouga asked.

"Eh?" Rin had averted her eyes, gazing upon her new flowers instead. "W-walk."

"Okay." Kouga decided not to question it, when running would have been the quicker option. Making sure not to jostle her, he started the short walk to the village. Rin remained somewhat stiff in his arm, almost shying away from him, and Kouga acted like he didn't notice.

* * *

><p>"Inuyasha-sama!" Kouga made an odd sound of surprise as Rin quite literally leapt out of his arms towards Inuyasha, who awkwardly caught the child as she flew through the air towards him. Almost immediately taking notice of her hurt ankle, he held her carefully before turning his angry scowl on Kouga. "Wolfs-shit, I haven't seen you in months, and you think it's a good idea to make a returning impression by injuring a kid?"<p>

Kouga snorted and crossed his arms defensively. "I didn't hurt her, you muttface, I found her in the woods like that, so I brought her back here." He waved a hand dismissively. "Where's Kagome?"

Inuyasha bared his fangs. "You waltz in here expecting me to just—?!"

"Kouga-kun!" Kouga watched with satisfaction as from behind Inuyasha, Kagome came running out of the hut, smile blazing bright as she reached towards her old friend. Kouga got in one last smug grin at Inuyasha before catching Kagome and swinging her around. Inuyasha's eye twitched, but after deciding Kouga wouldn't dare do anything while being married to Ayame, shifted his attention to the injured child.

"Did Kouga hurt you, Rin?" She shook her head quietly, and eyed the flowers. Frowning at the lack of words from the usually bubbly, girl, he shrugged it off and took her Kaede's hut, leaving Kagome and Kouga to, what he hoped was, a simple friendly reunion.

* * *

><p>AN: If anyone actually reads this story or these notes, I can at the very last tell you I have something planned out for One Word, but not very much. Ideas are welcome, as always, for anything and everything, or if you just wanna talk, PM me, or hit me up on my Tumblr, _iliveondaydreams_.

Thanks for reading guys!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: A Christmas/New Years present for precious, precious friend **Ale** (amaayasha is her user on here), because I know she loves friendship fluff as much as I do. She's the sweetest thing ever and she deserves to have gotten this earlier, but I'm terrible and this took longer than usual :(

I hope you like it!

* * *

><p>"Isn't it a lovely day out, today, Inuyasha?" Miroku commented as they walked along the path. His arm rested carefully around Sango's waist, who, despite being near the end of her pregnancy, insisted on getting exercise outside of Kaede's hut.<p>

Inuyasha grunted. "Guess so. Would be better if I could stay in and not have to baby-sit you two."

"You didn't have to come with us, Inuyasha," Sango said. "We'll be fine on our own."

"Kaede doesn't trust the lecher to be alone with you too far from village," Inuyasha said with a smirk. "She thinks if anything happens to you, he won't be any help."

"That's not true!" Miroku piped up. "I am willing to risk my life for my beloved Sango." He pulled her close gently and pecked her on the lips. Inuyasha blinked at their display of affection, and something in his heart twinged. The tips of his ears dropped the slightest bit. Hoping Miroku nor Sango would notice, he hung back a little, giving them space to walk ahead of him while he trailed behind.

Sango stopped when she noticed Inuyasha was no longer right beside them, and turned around, stopping Miroku as well. "Come on, Inuyasha, walk with us, not behind us. It's been awhile since we've all talked together, anyways." She tugged her hand out of Miroku's and awkwardly made her way back to Inuyasha, giving him a gentle hug and patting his shoulder. "Don't feel left out, you're our best friend. We're always going to be together anyways, you might as well get used to it."

Inuyasha's eyes widened, darting from side to side as a blush rose to his cheeks. "Y-yeah." He glared at Miroku's grinning visage over Sango's head, and the monk put up both his hands in a show of defense.

Sango's hand twitched on his shoulder, and then her fingers clutched the material tighter. Suddenly, she gasped and flinched, both her hands flying to her stomach. "Sango?" Inuyasha took her shoulder and pulled her upright. "What's wrong?" Miroku ran over, holding his wife and earnestly trying to look at her face.

"Sango, is it the baby?" She nodded, her pain stricken face chilling Miroku's heart. Sango, both stronger than him and the most fearless person he knew, looked so weak at that moment.

His face paled, and his hands shook, coming off of her shoulders.

Inuyasha snarled. "I knew you both shouldn't have gone so far from the village! Come on, let's get her back to Kaede's, who knows what could be going wrong?" He stepped back in the opposite direction they'd been going, hesitating when neither one of them moved.

"Sango? Can you move?" She nodded shakily, and took a few steps towards him, wincing as another contraction hit her. "Damn Miroku, come on!"

But he stood stock still, staring at Sango with his mouth open and his eyes shining with fear.

"Stupid, good-for-nothing lecher…" Inuyasha mumbled under his breath, leaning down to carefully sweep Sango into his arms. "Kaede was right, Miroku, you're actually pretty useless." Sango flicked him in the nose. "I'm taking Sango back to Kaede's. Catch up with us, all right?" Without waiting for an answer, he began to bound down the path as quickly and smoothly as he could as to not jostle Sango.

"Inuyasha, you can't just leave him behind," Sango protested, "he has to be there."

"Oh, he'll be there, all right. Right now we need to get you there first, we can worry about where he is later." He looked down at her, inspecting her face for signs of pain. "You okay?"

Sango inhaled deeply. "I'm fine, I just didn't expect this to happen now."

"Does that mean that the baby's coming?"

"I'm not sure," Sango said worriedly. "It could just be pain, but it's too likely." Looking behind Inuyasha, she gnawed on her lip when she didn't see Miroku behind them. "I want Kagome," she said quietly. "She knew so many things about childbirth from those books and school of hers…"

Inuyasha grit his teeth. "Kagome's not here right now, and Kaede has never failed us. Stop worryin' so much."

Sango was silent for a while, one of her hands coming to rest on her stomach while the other lay loosely around Inuyasha's neck. Her breath caught in her throat, and she leaned into Inuyasha's shoulder, hiding her face in it. "Are we almost there?"

"Yeah," he muttered. "Don't worry, Sango, you'll be fine. You're probably made out of tougher stuff than even I am."

She let out a small laugh at the joke, and tried to swallow her discomfort. "Thank you, Inuyasha. I just hope Miroku catches up."

"I'll help you pound him if he doesn't," Inuyasha promised.

* * *

><p>"Kaede!" Inuyasha bellowed as he barreled into the village. "Sango's hurt!"<p>

"I'm not hurt, Inuyasha," Sango grumbled. "I am with child!"

"Same thing," he scoffed, and winced when she smacked him over the head with her palm. Even in pain, the force of Sango's hits were strong as ever.

Kaede pulled back the screen at the door and beckoned them towards her. She held the screen open so Inuyasha could duck in. She pulled the futon from the corner into the center of the hut, gesturing for him to lay her down on it.

"Fetch Rin and another village girl," Kaede ordered, "and don't come back in here, Inuyasha, unless I tell you to."

"But—"

"Go!"

Grumbling, Inuyasha did as he was told. Rin was easy to locate, behind the hut pulling weeds from Kaede's garden.

"Hello, Inuyasha-sama!" she said, waving from her position kneeling on the ground.

"Hey, kid. Listen, Kaede needs your help right now. Can you grab another girl from the village and go to Kaede's hut? They think Sango's about to give birth."

Rin nodded, wide-eyed. "Yes, Inuyasha-sama!" She hopped to her feet, dusted off her skirt, then ran around him.

"And stop calling me Inuyasha-sama!" he yelled after her. He heard her giggles as she raced into the village.

"Inuyasha!" he heard Kaede call. "Come in here, now!"

Cringing and bracing himself, he peeked into the hut, and when he saw nothing out of the ordinary, sighed in relief and strolled in. "What is it?"

"She is in her second stage of labor. Stay by her side and hold her hand."

Inuyasha blinked, but did as he was told. "Why?"

"_Ouch!_"

"That's why."

Inuyasha winced as Sango squeezed his hand, her nails digging into his skin with the bruising strength that only she could have.

"Where is Miroku?" Sango demanded. Her eyes were scrunched close very tightly, and her mouth twitched. Rin and another village girl Inuyasha didn't recognize ran in, armed with towels and a basin of water.

Inuyasha raised his head and sniffed the air, doing his best to ignore Sango's death grip on his hand. "He's on his way, finally. Should be here in a few minutes."

"Good," she ground out. "When he gets here, I am going to murder him. Stupid, no-good lecher wants kids so badly, he can give birth to them himself next time."

"Would love to see that," Inuyasha snorted. "Handling two of them at once, too, at that."

Sango's expression froze for a moment before she rolled her head slowly to look right at Inuyasha. "What do you mean, two?"

Inuyasha looked puzzled. "Didn't you know?"

"Know what?"

"You're having two kids, twins, you know?"

Sango's eye twitched. "No, no I don't know! And how do _you _know this?"

Inuyasha's ears twitched, and with his free hand, he slowly pointed to his nose.

"You had better not be joking, Inuyasha, or I swear—!"

"I'm not joking, geez!"

"Then why didn't you tell me before?" she exclaimed. "Did you not think it was important for me to know I was having _twins_?"

"I thought I did tell you!" he said in defense.

Sango lunged off the futon and grasped at his ears, almost reaching them for a violent twist before he carefully let go of her hand, causing her to fall back onto the futon. The sound of footsteps approaching grew louder, and Miroku burst into the hut, out of breath. Inuyasha scrambled to his feet and leapt out the door.

"Good luck, monk!"

Miroku stared after Inuyasha before rushing to kneel by Sango, taking her hand in both of his, wincing when her hand contracted harshly around one of his.

"Is everything okay, dearest?"

"Does everything look okay to you?"

"No," Miroku sighed. "I'm sorry for arriving late, it's just—"

"Never mind that now," Sango snapped. "Did you know we were having twins, or am I not alone on this?"

Miroku gave her a strange look. "Of course I knew. Don't tell me you forgot?"

"_Forgot_? No one told me in the first place!" Sango put a hand on her face and moaned. "I'm going to kill you and Inuyasha after this…"

Kaede fixed Miroku with a pointed glare. "Don't make her any more stressed than she already is, Miroku. Get her to think about something else."

"The joy of knowing that the next child you give birth to won't be as painful as this time?"

"That's it!" Sango shouted. "Get Inuyasha back in here, he's much more tolerable than you."

"Surely you're joking," Miroku said desperately. "I'm your husband, your one love—"

"Miroku…"

"Inuyasha! She wants you!" Miroku scrambled to his feet and stumbled away from her, not wishing to distress his wife further.

"Me? What for?" Seeing Miroku's panicked expression, Inuyasha's mouth set into a straight line. "What'd you do this time?"

"Just go in," Miroku grumbled, "and tell me to come back in when she's not mad at me anymore."

"What did you _do_?"

"_Go!_"

Inuyasha snarled, but stalked into the hut anyways, plopping down beside Sango again. "Miroku told me to come in."

"And I'm the one who told him to tell you," Sango deadpanned. "As far as I'm concerned, you're both imbeciles, but you're the more tolerable imbecile right now."

"Thanks," he muttered. He opened his palm for her to place her hand in, and braced himself this time for the pain from her tight grip.

Sango's face was twisted in an expression of pain. Her eyebrows scrunched together, and her jaw was so visibly clenched that Inuyasha was worried she might end up getting it stuck like that. His own face contorted in concern, and he leaned forward to brush her bangs away from her forehead with his free hand.

Her skin was warm, and for once, Inuyasha was glad he had cool fingers to help calm her down. Kagome always did like to joke that dogs were warm and that his hands were too cold. His fingers stroked through her hair slowly, and he carefully lifted her head to move the hair under neck away.

Sango cracked an eye open, watching him curiously. "What are you doing?"

Inuyasha's cheeks reddened. "Uh, Kagome always liked when I played with her hair. Said it made her feel calm or something." His fingers paused, still slightly angle in her hair. "Is it bothering you?"

"No," she mumbled. "It feels nice, keep going."

So he did, relaxing into a more casual position and moving his sword off to the side of the hut to get it out of the way. Her forehead and hand grew sweaty, and both he and Kaede gave her soft words of encouragement.

Miroku popped his head back in after a while, and once he made sure Sango wasn't about to kill him anytime soon, joined Inuyasha by where Sango lay, watching her with concern and patting her leg in a soothing manner. Rin and the other village girl were in and out of the hut, either to fetch something new that Kaede needed, or to keep prying villagers away.

Even with the occasional sound of pain from Sango, the hut fell into a nearly still and silent calm as they awaited the arrival of the new members of the village.

* * *

><p>Once again, both Inuyasha and Miroku had been booted out of the hut. Miroku winced every time one of Sango's shrieks reached his ears, and Inuyasha had to grab his sleeve to keep him from rushing back inside.<p>

After a while, the screams ceased, and a quieter one made Inuyasha's ears perk up. With a grin, he nudged Miroku in the ribs and tilted his head towards the hut. This time, Inuyasha couldn't hold him back before Miroku leapt to his feet and made a beeline for Kaede's.

"They're here?" Miroku cried as he ran inside. Kaede gave him a dry look and gestured towards Sango, whose face was still contorted in pain.

"Only one of them, Miroku-sama," Rin said. She was sitting on her heels, and in her arms and lap sat the crying child who Inuyasha had heard moments ago. She nodded him over. "Isn't she pretty?"

Miroku leaned over her to gently take his daughter from Rin, grinning at the baby's crying, bright-red face. "Of course she is. My daughter… But where is her sister?"

Kaede looked irritated now. "Wait a few more minutes and you'll see her soon."

Rin looked bemused. "You didn't think they both came at once, did you, Miroku-sama?"

"They don't?"

The next thing he knew, Miroku found himself being pushed out of the hut, his daughter tucked safely into his arms. He nearly stumbled over his own sandals but caught himself at the last second.

The crying had stopped, and the baby was now cooing quietly, wriggling back and forth slightly in the small blanket Rin had wrapped her in.

"Oi." Inuyasha appeared suddenly beside him, peering over his shoulder curiously. "Is that one of them?"

"Yes," Miroku said wistfully. "Isn't she adorable?"

"It's bright red and there are tears on its face."

"_Her_ face, Inuyasha, not it."

Inuyasha snorted but said nothing else. "Second one is coming soon?"

"Kaede said to wait a few more minutes, and then we'll have both." Miroku clutched his daughter tighter. "_Two_ children, Inuyasha. I feel so blessed."

"Can you even handle two?" he retorted. "At least you finally got those children you've been asking women to bear you for months."

"And I couldn't be happier." Miroku tilted his head in thought. "Maybe only if we have more."

"Wait 'n see how these two go first," Inuyasha grunted.

* * *

><p>Once the screams of the second child permeated the air, Miroku had carefully thrust his first child at Inuyasha, eager to rush in and see his second daughter. Huffing, Inuyasha looked at the baby awkwardly cradled in his arms. The baby's nose twitched once, and it moved restlessly in the blanket. Afraid she would begin crying, he hurried to follow Miroku.<p>

Upon entering the hut, the first thing he saw was Sango sitting up with Miroku arm behind her back to support her. Moving closer, he saw that between the two, they held the second baby, identical to the first twin, right down to the color blanket she was being held in.

Inuyasha blinked, unsure of how to break their peace and hand the baby to them, when Sango looked up at him with a broad smile. She looked tired; her hair was rumpled and her eyes were halfway closed, but her smile was bright.

"Come on, Inuyasha, sit with us. You're part of this family too."

Hesitantly, he squatted in front of them, brandishing the now sleeping baby he was holding. Sango shook her head. "You can hold her, Inuyasha, I trust you."

"Ah," he looked taken aback, "all right." He collapsed into his usual sitting style, resting the baby on his lap.

"You'll help out with the kids, right, Inuyasha?" Sango asked hopefully.

"S'not like I have anything better to do," he said. "Sure thing."

"Thanks, Inuyasha," she said tiredly. "I'm really glad to call you family."

Though he tried to hide it by ducking his head, Sango could make out the blush on his cheeks, clear as day.


End file.
